Photographer Fouad El-Batrawi gave us some insight for our November cover story , “Did the internet kill the starving artist?” We decided to have a longer talk with him and get to know more about him and his work.
Tell us about yourself, and how you got started in photography
I’m 23 years old, currently studying business after spending 3 years studying electrical engineering, then taking a gap year. I also work as a photographer at MO4 Network, and I do freelance work whenever I get the chance.
As a devout geek, I’ve always been interested in following camera technology, long before I even had a smartphone, let alone a camera. I first got into photography when I was introduced to Instagram about 3 years ago, then I bought my first DSLR a little under 2 years ago.
What type of photography do you specialize in?
Mainly I do Landscape and Astrophography, but I don’t like to limit myself to just that. I’ve done event, interior, and product photography, and I’m always eager to expand my knowledge to all kinds of photography. But yeah, if I had to label myself, I’d call myself a landscape photographer.
You’ve traveled around Egypt to take pictures, where did you go and what’s your favourite photography spot?
Well, there are a ton of places that I have yet to visit, I’ve only been to the White & Black Deserts, Nuweiba & Dahab in Sinai, and Wadi El Rayan in Fayoum. My favourite by far has to be the White Desert, I didn’t take the best photos there, but it’s definitely the best photography experience I’ve ever had.
It gets pretty expensive to shoot landscape. How do you manage these expenses and what tips do you have?
I use a third-party manual focus lens which is almost quarter the price of its Canon and Nikon counterparts. I’ve also invested in a carbon fiber travel tripod, which is both lightweight to move around easily, and very sturdy and durable.
I think the most important item when it comes to shooting landscapes is the tripod. It’s also the most overlooked item. A steady tripod goes a long way, and if you get a good one, it’ll stay with you for years without needing to upgrade.
Do you get any support from any outsiders or not?
I get tons of support from friends and family encouraging me to keep doing what I’m doing, but as far as financial support, I’m pretty much self-sufficient so far.
Do you face any legal problems while shooting?
I’ve been lucky enough so far to not run into trouble, except for minor incidents where I get asked a few questions when security finds a camera in my bag, but that’s to be expected.
What do you think of the Instagram photography trend?
I totally support it, I mean this is how I started as a photographer. I haven’t been active within the community for a long time, mainly because I’ve been focusing on doing my own thing, but I hold a lot of love and respect for so many Egyptian Instagrammers.
Where can people buy/view your work?
You can follow me on my Facebook page and on Instagram, and if you’d like to buy prints you can contact me directly through the page.
Follow Fouad on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fouadelbatrawi
Follow Fouad on Instagram: https://instagram.com/fouadelbatrawi/
